Ironically, Underwood premiered the song live on the 'Idol' stage just a few weeks ago. Harrison chose it as part of the night's theme that required the contestants to sing a song from 2013. The singer was looking to overcome a rough week last week, when the judges -- who have largely been overwhelmingly supportive of her all season -- gave her an unexpectedly hard time with her song choices and performances.

In rehearsal, Harrison so impressed Harry Connick, Jr. -- who served as the contestants' mentor this week -- that he said he would be happy to help her record an album if she asked him, noting that he thought her version of the song is better than Underwood's.

Her performance was a perfect blend of her strengths, displaying the rich warmth of her lower range in the verse, then jumping into the power of her upper range for the chorus. She remained seated through the song, using staging and lighting to create a performance outside of her physical presence.

Mariah Carey praised the performance for its authenticity, as did Nicki Minaj, who said, "You sang with your eyes."

Randy Jackson also praised Harrison, saying, "You've got an amazing voice and that was a great vocal."

But Keith Urban was not so sure, noting that there was a disconnect between performing a power ballad and remaining seated. He didn't feel Harrison quite connected, but added, "Your voice is faultless, it always is."

Connick, on the other hand, was so knocked out by the performance that he insisted on coming out to congratulate Harrison on stage.

Kree Harrison will learn whether she has survived another round on the results show Thursday night (May 2).